


beat the buzzer

by orange_creamsicle



Series: 10k for every twice ship [2]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, High School Basketball AU, and ig if you want there's jeonghyo?, i tried 10k enemies to lovers, it didn't really work, lisa too, oh also some of the velvets appear, side sanayeon, though that last one was kinda unintentional and you really need to squint real hard, where twice are all on the same team and sunmi is their coach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orange_creamsicle/pseuds/orange_creamsicle
Summary: Myoui Mina is the top rated player in Japan and the newest member of JYP High’s squad. The only problem? She’s got history with their star player, Hirai Momo.
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Myoui Mina
Series: 10k for every twice ship [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088183
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	beat the buzzer

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write a basketball au ever since EWO came out cuz Shot Clock, and here it is. 
> 
> I know quite a bit about basketball just from watching it and I've played a few times, but I am by no means an expert of the game so there might be a few technical mistakes. 
> 
> This one's for all the Mimonators out there who have been blessed with content recently. Please enjoy! :)

“Ready for tryouts, Im?” Momo doesn’t have to look up from her shoelaces to see that it’s Sana strolling up to where she and Nayeon stand by the back door of the girls’ locker room, nor to know that there’s a devilish grin behind the senior’s sugar-sweet intonation as she approaches them, hair tied back and a ball safely tucked against her arm. 

“Ready to dribble circles around you, you mean,” Nayeon says as she rolls her eyes, acting annoyed but still sporting a smile as wide as Sana’s as the three of them make their way through the maze of backpacks, game bags, and shoes scattered across the locker room floor. 

“Please,” Sana snorts. “It’ll be just like last time, me dropping you to the court after the first crossover.” 

“Since when do I ever drop for you, Minatozaki? Isn’t it always the other way around?” 

Momo groans. “God, get a room.” Ever since the two started dating last summer, they’ve become almost insufferable with their constant more-than-slightly-suggestive remarks. 

“What’s up Cap? Tryouts got you feeling stressed?” 

“I know a great remedy for stress,” Nayeon says with a wolfish grin. “Just ask Sana.” 

“If this is what I’ll have to go through every day for the whole season, I’m telling Coach Sunmi to drop you two from varsity.” 

“Alright girls, circle up!” The aforementioned coach calls from the center of the court. Momo has to hold in a laugh as all of the newbies drop whatever they’re doing and rush to follow. Lee Sunmi is well-known as the most successful player in the history of JYP High, and that’s even before she signed on to become their winningest coach as well. She’s an imposing figure for many, but Momo and her returning teammates learned quickly that underneath that impressive visage, Coach Sunmi is really just a softie who likes to have fun with her players as much as anyone else. Add on that she’s a lot younger than a lot of the other coaches and teachers at JYP and well, her players tend to treat her more like an older friend or sister than a coach. 

“Nayeon, Sana, quit harassing Momo and get your asses over here!” Sana grins and Nayeon gets in a quick elbow against Momo’s ribs as the two girls jog off to join the huddle. 

Momo takes her place besides Coach Sunmi and sweeps her eyes over the hopefuls. There’s a big turnout, but despite this the varsity lineup is pretty much already squared away. Momo’s eyes land on the returners, where Nayeon and Sana stand next to Jeongyeon and Jihyo, all of them grinning back at her. The four were all starters last year alongside Momo and are all practically locked into the roster. Also catching her eye is Dahyun, the spritely sophomore shooting guard who impressed on JV last year. She’s also a potential steal for varsity. 

“Girls, welcome to tryouts for JYP’s basketball team,” Coach Sunmi says once everyone is gathered around. “As most of you know I’m Coach Sunmi, and this is your captain for this year, Hirai Momo.” Momo nods curtly and someone in the group wolf whistles. Probably either Nayeon or Jeongyeon. 

“Now, I’m sure you’re all raring to go show us what you can do, but I have a special announcement to make first.” 

Momo frowns. A special announcement? Coach Sunmi seems particularly excited. Why hasn’t she heard about it?

“Some of you juniors might know that there’s a new transfer at JYP. She’s just getting her bearings, but I’m so glad she accepted my offer to come and try out for our team.”

Coach Sunmi beckons one of the girls forward and Momo sees a flash of white-blonde coming closer amongst the shuffling and murmuring of everyone else turning their heads to see who it is. 

“Ladies, it’s my honor to introduce the top rated player in Japan, who will hopefully be joining our team this season.” 

The girl in question finally comes into view and Momo freezes. That walk, calm and confident with feet slightly turned out, high-tops squeaking methodically against the hardwood. That face, dotted with constellations set in a pattern forever burned in Momo’s mind. Her hair is different from what Momo remembers, long and blonde and tied up in a high ponytail, but there’s still the same slight snobbish “rich-kid” tilt of her head and the same infuriating smirk at the edge of her lips as she meets her eyes and Momo is absolutely fuming. 

Coach Sunmi doesn’t even have to say her name, but she does anyway. 

“Please welcome Myoui Mina.” 

\--

Mina barely has time to catch her breath after tryouts when Momo corners her in the gym hallway. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

“I–what?” 

“That special introduction from Coach Sunmi? You think you can just walk in here and get a spot on varsity without even trying?” 

“Momo, I don’t know why she did that, I didn’t even tell her who I was.” Momo doesn’t know what expression crosses Mina’s face. Maybe it’s confusion? Surprise? Guilt? It makes her blood boil even more. 

“Don’t act like you didn’t know this was coming,” she hisses, pinning Mina against the wall. “Coach Sunmi might be the coach of this team, but I’m the captain, and if you’re expecting any preferential treatment just because of who you are, then you sure as hell aren’t going to get it.” 

Mina’s eyes flare with something much clearer: anger. “You think I asked for any of that? That I’m expecting everything to be handed to me on a silver platter?”

“Isn’t it always?” 

“God, Momo,” Mina says, exasperated. “You really don’t change, do you? You’re still so resentful of me for something that happened years ago and now you won’t even let it go when we could be back on the same team, which is what you wanted the whole time. I can’t believe you.” 

“Maybe there wouldn’t be something to be resentful for if you hadn’t left.” 

“You know what, I’m done here,” Mina snaps. She steps away from the wall, freeing herself from Momo with a shove. “You have no idea how hard I worked to get to where I am now, how much I had to give up to keep playing basketball. I have nothing to prove to anyone, especially not you, but I’ll do whatever I have to to show you that I deserve a spot on this team just like anyone else.”

“Fine,” Momo responds savagely. “The first practice session is tomorrow, you’d better not be late. I’ll be watching.”

“Good to know that there’s going to be an audience. I’ll make sure to put on a show.” Mina laughs darkly as she storms off. 

Thankfully, the two don’t cross paths for the rest of the day. The rush of anger fades but doesn’t completely disappear, leaving a heavy feeling in Momo’s chest that, despite all attempts to ignore it, doesn’t really go away. 

\--

“We’ll be scrimmaging today,” Coach Sunmi says after Momo leads them through a few warm-ups. “Nothing too fancy, just half-court three-on-threes. I want to see what kind of skill sets and teamwork you guys already have before we do something new.”

Momo has a quick hope that they get to pick teams, one that is immediately dashed by the coach’s next words. 

“Team 1 is Jihyo, Dahyun, Sana.” The three girls in question step out together, fist bumping as they pull blue pinnies over their jerseys. 

“Team 2. Jeongyeon, Momo, and…” Every cell in Momo’s body prays, prays that a certain name won’t pass over Coach Sunmi’s lips. “Chaeyoung.” Momo sighs. Crisis averted. She steps out of line and catches the yellow pinny Jeongyeon throws at her. 

“And that leaves Nayeon, Mina, and Tzuyu as Team 3.” Coach Sunmi says as she hands them red pinnies, distinguishing each trio into their own team. 

Because of the odd number of teams, they play a game of knockout to decide who is playing who in the first round, with just one representative from each team vying for the bye. Momo steps out for Team 2, accompanied by Nayeon from Team 3 and a surprise Dahyun from Team 1. They line up at the free throw line in order of team number, with Dahyun at the front and Nayeon at the back, Coach Sunmi passes Dahyun and Momo a ball each, and the game begins. 

As expected, the competition is fierce. After all, Nayeon is the best returning shooter on varsity and Momo is, well, Momo, but the surprise is Dahyun, who sinks Nayeon with a quick three from a long rebound that swishes cleanly through the rim. The senior shooting guard shockingly returns to her team and Momo just has to shake her head in disbelief at Dahyun’s cocky smile. She remembers hearing about Dahyun’s shot mechanics from some JV players last year, but this is her first time watching her and yeah, she’s definitely a lights-out shooter when she’s in her rhythm. 

Albeit slightly distracted by Nayeon’s loud cheering for Dahyun as the game gets back underway, Momo eliminates her a few rounds later when the sophomore’s shot rims in and out, opening up a gap for her to squeeze in a layup off of the backboard. 

“Alright, that’s it!” Coach Sunmi announces with a laugh. “Team 2, well done, you’ve got a bye this round,” Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung whoop as Momo approaches them triumphantly as the other girls roll their eyes. “Team 1 and Team 3, you’re up,” Momo takes a seat comfortably on the bench as the other teams step out on the court. Jihyo, Dahyun, and Sana get set on offense as Mina, Nayeon, and Tzuyu pick their defensive assignments. “First to 30 wins. Are you ready?” Jihyo, Team 1’s assigned point guard and Mina, her opposite number on Team 3, both nod as they eye each other competitively. “Okay. 3, 2, 1, and go!” Coach Sunmi hands Jihyo the ball and blows her whistle to start the game. 

Play is fast-paced, back and forth and back and forth as each team works to figure out the other and establish tenuous threads of teamwork in every sequence. Even before the game started, Momo had noted that Team 3 had the clear size advantage, a strength that they seem to be targeting against the shorter Team 1. Dahyun can’t really do anything on defense against Nayeon, the sophomore simply not being physical enough to match the senior’s experience and tenacity when she drives to the hoop. And Sana, despite being a versatile wing and an agile post player, can’t compete with Tzuyu’s long arms as they continually feed it inside to her for layups. For a second Momo smiles, impressed at how quickly they had identified an offensive strategy and thinking ahead to future games with excitement, but then she catches Mina watching her with a smirk as she dribbles the ball up after a rebound and hastily resets her face into an annoyed grimace. 

After stumbling out to a 13-2 start, Team 1 regroups and tries something different, attacking from the wings with longer jumpers instead of trying to force things through the paint. It works for a while and allows them to gain their stride again on the back of Dahyun’s 3-pointers and long 2’s from Jihyo and Sana, but the gap is too wide. Mina sinks a three from the corner and Team 3 wins, 31-24. 

Sana, Jihyo, and Dahyun take their sweet time getting off the court, each of them going over to congratulate Team 3 in turn before heading slowly back to the bench, talking animatedly amongst themselves. 

Momo calls Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung in for a quick huddle. 

“You were watching that game, right?” Momo asks, to which both Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung nod their confirmation. 

“They have the height advantage against us in the paint too,” Jeongyeon says. “It’ll be hard to get anything to go through Tzuyu.” 

“You have the experience though,” Momo responds. “Try some post moves, see if you can’t spin around her in the low block or something.” 

“It’ll be hard to contend with them if we only play offensively though,” Chaeyoung remarks thoughtfully and Momo nods in agreement. 

“We’ll play man on defense, try to stay on your assignment and prevent any switches. Make them be creative. On offense, move around as much as you can.” Coach Sunmi signals them over to receive the ball for the start of the game and Momo breaks the huddle. She nods to Chaeyoung, who goes over to bring the ball up, before turning back to the basket, expecting to see Nayeon grinning in her face as Team 3 gets on their defensive assignments. Instead she’s met with Mina who eyes her fiercely, sweat shining against her brow. 

Momo catches Mina’s lowly spoken words. 

“It’s you and me, Hirai. Just like old times.” 

Then Coach Sunmi’s whistle blows and the game starts. 

\--

“Would you quit frowning already and just tell me what’s going on?” Jeongyeon demands at the earliest opportunity, which happens to be 15 minutes into 3rd period chemistry when Professor Kim assigns them a titration lab to complete with their seat partner. 

“Hmm?” 

“You literally have not cracked a smile since yesterday at lunch and Nayeon said you were just glowering and sulking on your phone for like the entire class period in history.”

“So?” Momo grumbles as she flips back through her notes on how exactly to perform titrations. 

“I am so going to regret this in a few hours,” Jeongyeon mumbles. She sighs deeply and carefully sets down the beaker of water she just measured out before turning to stare directly at Momo. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but before you go and quote me on what I’m about to say just know that you basically made me. Apparently it takes all 43 of the muscles in your face to frown–”

“How do you even know that?”

“It’s yet another cheesy and entirely unnecessary fact that Jihyo told me after her anatomy class but that’s totally beside the point. I’m telling you this because it looks like all 43 of those precious muscles have been straining to keep that frown on your face for the past 24 hours, so would you please for the love of God quit it and give those poor muscles a break before you start getting weird cramps against your cheekbone or something?”

Momo can’t help but burst out laughing. “Oh my god Jeong! Is this your way of asking me if I’m okay or something?” 

“What? It’s making me uncomfortable.” 

“Fine,” Momo huffs. “It’s nothing, I’m just stressed out right now.” What was she going to say? That she’s mad because Mina beat her in the scrimmage yesterday? That she hates Mina with a burning passion?

“With what? College applications?” 

“Yeah. College applications.” 

“Mhmm,” Jeongyeon says in a tone that makes it clear she absolutely does not believe for a second that Momo is stressed about college applications. “Well, try not to be so stressed. The first game of the season is coming up in a few weeks and we’ll need our star player at the top of her game if we’re going to beat SM in the tournament this year.” 

“The first game. Right.” Momo’s thoughts shift away from titrations and the 43 muscles in her face and back to formations, lineups, and a certain blonde haired guard. 

\--

Coach Sunmi isn’t at the next practice, or the two after that. Momo remembers her mentioning something about a national high school athletics conference at the last coach’s meeting, which means that she’s away in Busan for a week learning about new regulations and they have to spend one of the last few crucial weeks before the season opener without their genius of a coach. 

It isn’t really a problem though, because Momo is the best player in the city and arguably the country and as a captain should, in the words of Coach Sunmi, ‘have no problem running the girls through some new drills and sequences’. 

Wel, maybe she took that instruction a little too literally, seeing as how she’s now pushing the team through a third brutal set of suicides at the end of a practice that has consisted of back to back drills with minimal rest. 

The official reason, one that she’s been preparing if any of the girls complain to Coach Sunmi when she returns, is that she wanted to quickly build their stamina and fitness to prepare for the opener. But in reality, she’s just enjoying watching Mina’s chest heave even harder through each exercise and preparing herself for the moment where the blonde apparent ‘top rated player in Japan’ falters, unable to keep up with Momo’s superior athleticism. 

The third suicide ends and as Momo catches her breath, she notes with some disappointment that Mina is still very much standing and keeping up with every exercise Momo throws at her. She’s about to call for another run when she sees an exhausted Chaeyoung drop to the floor and catches nothing less than a death glare from Jihyo, deciding then and there that maybe now might be a good time to end practice for today. 

Everyone heads silently to the locker room without so much as a glance in Momo’s direction, all looking like they have some very choice words for their captain for working them almost to the breaking point. Momo ignores them; they’ll get over it in a day or two, and it’ll only help them in the long run. 

She’s almost done picking up the equipment and locking it in the storage room when she feels a hand grab her forearm, turning her around. 

“What do you want–”   
  


“Listen to me, Momo,” Mina growls fiercely, staring directly at her with fire in her eyes and a hard set in her jaw. “I don’t care if you hate me, but you absolutely cannot take your frustrations at me out on the rest of the team.” 

“It was just practice.” 

“Both you and I know that it isn’t true. You literally ran them until their legs fell off. I’ve played enough basketball to know that while you need to be in shape, what you just made them do was entirely unnecessary.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m the captain of this team, not you.”

Mina scoffs. “I know, you’ve made that infinitely clear.”

Momo turns her back on the junior guard. “Then leave. Practice is over.” 

There’s a beat of silence, then something akin to desperation makes its way into Mina’s voice. “Momo, I’m sorry. You’re never going to listen to me, but I’m begging you. However much you hate me, I can take it, but please don’t let that spill over onto anyone else. I saw how they looked at you today and I’m afraid if you keep pushing them, there won’t be any team left.” 

Momo sighs, all of the fight drained out of her by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. But by the time she turns around to respond, Mina is long gone. 

\--

The season opener turns out to be a rematch of last year’s championship game: JYP High at SM Prep. Both are the strongest teams in the league and returned almost all of their starters from the previous year, easy favorites to win yet again. They’re also crosstown rivals and the best teams in Seoul. Momo still remembers the heartbreak of last year’s final, with JYP losing on a buzzer-beater after two periods of overtime. She’s sure the crowd at SM Prep remembers it too, because the booing and antagonizing that floods her ears when the JYP squad enters the court is unlike anything she’s ever heard in a season opener, and she’s been in quite a few herself. 

Maybe it isn’t the best environment for the freshmen to be playing in in their first game, but hey, there’s no better way to be introduced to varsity basketball than to be thrown straight into the fire. 

The game is neck and neck the whole way, with neither team able to put the other away and the lead changing hands on almost every possession. The minutes wind down until it’s suddenly 76-75 with 4 seconds left to go in the fourth quarter, SM Prep with the ball, the lead, and in the bonus. 

“Quick foul girls!” Coach Sunmi calls from the bench. “If you can’t get a turnover right out of the inbound, send them to the line!” 

Momo nods and walks up to the baseline, guarding the inbounder as tightly as she can without fouling. Somehow the ball manages to sneak past her to one of SM’s guards, Kang Seulgi, who Momo knows from the year they spent on the same club team. Nayeon just misses the steal and Sana quickly wraps her hands around Seulgi, fouling her and sending her to the line. 

“AND A CLEAR INTENTIONAL FOUL FROM JYP! That’s number three on Minatozaki,” The announcer says on the PA system, booming over the crowd. “And that sends our favorite shooting guard Kang Seulgi to the line. Can she convert these two shots and widen the lead?” 

Seulgi steps up to the line and the crowd quiets down as she coolly goes through her routine and sinks the first, then the second free throws. SM’s gym absolutely erupts as the second shot swishes through the net and the scoreboard flashes SM Prep 78 - JYP High 75. Momo can barely hear the ref’s whistle as Coach Sunmi screams for a timeout, motioning to the officiating team to advance the ball as her players gather around the bench. 

“Dahyun, you’re in for Jeongyeon on this one. We need as many shooters as we can get on the court. There’s only time for the inbound, either a couple dribbles or a quick pass, and a shot,” Coach Sunmi says as she draws up a play on her whiteboard. “Momo, you’re on the inbound, and Mina, you’re the ball handler. Everyone else crowds the key. Dahyun is the number 1 option. As soon as it’s inbounded, Sana, you set a screen so that Dahyun gets an opening on the wing. Nayeon, fan out on the other wing to spread the floor. That should leave just enough time for a quick catch and shoot. Got it, everyone?” 

All of the girls nod their heads. 

“Okay, hands in. JYP on three. One, two, three.. JYP!” The cheer is softer than Momo remembers hearing it in the past, but in the moment she chalks it down to not being able to hear anything over the deafening roars of the SM crowd. Then she’s stepping over to the sideline to inbound the ball, her teammates getting set in their positions. 

The whole sequence is nothing short of disaster. The ref blows the whistle, but the player guarding Momo on the inbound is so tightly on her that she barely sneaks a pass through between her arm and leg. It’s a little slow and a bit behind Mina, who has to reverse her momentum to secure the ball which in turn gives SM’s double team just enough time to rotate over. Their timing is messed up and the window for a pass out to Dahyun never opens. The clock keeps ticking and Mina has to throw up a heavily contested shot that bounces off the backboard and out as the final buzzer sounds for the game. 

“AND THAT’S IT FOLKS!” The announcer screams over the loudspeakers as the roar of the gym escalates to an ear splitting crescendo. “YOUR LADIES FROM SM PREP SUCCESSFULLY HOLD OFF JYP AT THE BUZZER TO CLAIM THEIR FIRST VICTORY! AND OH HOW SWEET IT FEELS!” 

Momo shakes her head in absolute disbelief near the sideline whilst Mina sinks to her knees, head in her hands, dejected. 

\--

It gets worse before it gets better. 

The practice after the opener against SM they run more than ever, this time the desire borne out of Coach Sunmi’s own volition as she claims they need to build team spirit and resolve back up after such a close loss. Momo would agree, though she’s not sure team suicides are quite the thing needed to boost resolve. 

In between drills and during shooting sessions, Momo tears into Mina for missing the shot against SM. Actually, it’s for a lot of things alongside that, like losing her momentum and feeding into the double team, for being in an awkward spot on the inbound, for not getting the ball over to Dahyun like they planned. Mina herself doesn’t do a thing to protest Momo’s claims, taking everything when it’s given without even indicating she would fight back. Sometimes it’s loud enough for the others to hear and she hears them muttering uncomfortably under their breath that it wasn’t Mina’s fault, but Momo thinks they’re wrong. It is her fault. If she had made that shot, they wouldn’t be starting the season off with a loss and the team wouldn’t be this splintered. 

(There’s a part of her, deep, deep down, that agrees with everyone else. That thinks that Mina isn’t the reason why this season isn’t going to plan, and that maybe she has been too harsh on the younger girl. But these thoughts are quickly pushed down by the anger and blame that comes much more naturally than forgiveness.) 

Their next few games should be manageable wins, and they are. None of the teams they face come within 10 points of JYP and Momo and the squad cruise through each game, ending the first month of the season at a respectable 3-1, good enough for third in the league. It’s just what they needed to get their season back on track in the hopes of securing a high seed for the end of season tournament. 

Still, there’s a slight frown that stays on Coach Sunmi’s brow throughout the entirety of their post-game film review sessions and Momo’s basketball-wired brain, despite any preconceptions and ulterior motives, knows exactly why it’s there. The team doesn’t… flow as well as it used to. They play well, but at some points it looks more like 5 individual players out there than a well-oiled machine. There isn’t a coherence there, a bond between each of the girls that there should be in an experienced, varsity basketball team. And it isn’t ever more apparent than in scenarios involving herself and Mina. On offensive sets, there’s always a certain reluctance when they scan the floor and see that the other is open, as if she’s looking to pass to anyone but Mina, and they don’t really communicate on defense, rotating over a half-second slow and sometimes missing their assignment altogether. Momo isn’t concerned: they won each of their games by a sizable margin, and that’s really all that matters. 

Coach Sunmi obviously doesn’t see it that way, and apparently some of her teammates don’t either. 

“Momo,” Sana’s voice sounds in the locker room after practice one day.

“What’s up, Satang? We’re still up for going to your place tomorrow afternoon, right? With Nayeon?” 

“Can we talk?” Momo’s heart sinks at Sana’s tone, but, never one to say no to her best friend, she nods and follows Sana to a quiet spot by the equipment room. 

“What’s going on between you and Mina?” 

“What do you mean? We’re playing together.” 

Sana shakes her head vigorously. “No, you’re not. I’ve seen what it’s like when you two play together. That’s not what’s happening now.” 

“Satang…” 

“You’re always at each other’s throats every practice, even the freshmen can see it.” 

“But there’s a reason for that!” Momo protests. 

“Momo, listen to me–”

“No Sana, you listen to me. I would play with Mina, but every time we play together in practice she’s always so high strung and cocky and it’s so annoying. Like who does she think she is? The best player in Japan? If she was, she wouldn’t have missed that shot against SM.” 

Sana is quiet for a second, then, “Come with me. I want to show you something.” 

Again, Momo reluctantly follows as Sana walks through the hallway, comes when Sana gestures her over to the long, thin window of the gym door. Sana’s looking into the gym at something and Momo follows her gaze over to the lone figure on the court, still putting up shot after shot when the rest of the team is probably long gone. 

Momo watches as Mina tirelessly pushes through, the frustration when a shot doesn’t fall clear on her face as she brushes stray strands of hair out of her face and diligently gets the rebound to do it all over again. 

“She’s been here every day since the game against SM. Sometimes I have to remind her to go home when she’s out late.”

Momo doesn’t say anything to this. What could she say?

“I asked her once about how many shots she would take until she decided to stop, but she didn’t really give me an answer,” Sana muses softly. “I think we both knew what was motivating her to keep going, and I think you do too.” 

Momo loses count of the minutes as they stand there. It could have been five, it could have been twenty-five, but as she watches Mina shoot and shoot, over and over again, something inside compels her to stay. 

“You’re both miserable,” Sana says. Momo doesn’t disagree. She can’t. It’s true. “I don’t think I’ve seen you crack a joke, or even smile, in weeks. And I know a lot about this situation might make you mad or uncomfortable because it’s not like how it was when we all played together in Japan.” 

“It definitely is not,” Momo murmurs under her breath, but it’s more of a musing to herself without any bite to it, any sting behind the words. Right now the tension between herself and Mina is pulled tight as a taut string, stretched to the breaking point. 

“But Mina’s trying to fix it, she really is. Don’t you think things could be better if maybe you tried too?” 

\--

The string snaps a few days later in their game against Seoul Central. 

Actually, it’s really more like the day before their game against the crosstown school. Momo, having thought a lot about what Sana said to her, decides to go to Mina and apologize, maybe turn over a new leaf and at least pull their relationship from its precarious position at the edge of the falls into shallower waters. 

All of that goes out the window when she opens the locker room door to Mina pressed closely against Lisa from the dance team, aggressively attacking her lips and practically moaning into every kiss. She has her back to Momo, but the light blue practice jersey and the blonde hair still up in a high ponytail are dead giveaways. 

Momo closes the locker room door as quickly as she opens it as something dark and ugly and green swells from the base of her chest, growing like a wildfire until it threatens to burst from her like some kind of wild animal. She storms away, apology forgotten. 

That night, Momo dreams of Mina, of blue jerseys and blonde hair, but it isn’t Lisa she’s kissing. 

\--

“What kind of sick game do you think you’re playing?” They barely make it off of the court when Mina forcefully grabs Momo’s wrist and pulls her out into a corner at the end of the hallway. 

“I don’t know, I’m just trying to win this game. What about you?” 

“Win this game? I had three open drives for layups at the end of that last half but you just straight up ignored my calls for a pass!”

“Jeongyeon had a better chance of making those inside shots than you did.” 

“Please,” Mina snorts. “Jeong was double teamed. You forcing the ball inside resulted in turnovers. Those would have been easy points if you had just passed to me. But oh wait, you’re so self-entitled that you can’t even give me the ball when we’re literally on the same side. What’s up Hirai? Too scared I’ll take your precious place as captain of this sorry excuse for a team?” 

“Well maybe I would pass to you if you weren’t so distracted off the court.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I saw you yesterday practically eating Lisa’s face off after practice. Disgusting.”

“So? What does that have to do with any of this?”

“If you spent as much time practicing as you did running around with other girls, then there’s a good chance we wouldn’t be losing this game!” 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” Mina bursts out, her eyes sparkling with something dark and menacing. “You’re jealous.” 

“What?! No–”

“You’re actually jealous of me?! You saw me and Lisa kissing yesterday, and that’s why you’re not passing to me?” 

“I’m not–”

Mina laughs, high and cold, a sound that despite being gripped with anger sends shivers down Momo’s spine. “You know, I’ve always held out hope that maybe we could salvage something from this, whatever it is that we have, but once again you have completely surprised me with your ability to somehow make everything about you.” 

“That’s rich coming from you! Isn’t that what you’ve been doing ever since you got here? Making things about you?” Momo bites back. 

“How can you insist on holding on to a grudge from when we were literally in middle school, but then actually be jealous of what I have? Aren’t you supposed to hate me?” 

By this point, Coach Sunmi rushes out into the hallway and Jihyo and Sana come to separate the two of them. 

“I do hate you!” Momo shouts. 

“You’re jealous of me. Or is it of her for kissing me? Honestly Momo,” Mina says with venom dripping from every syllable that comes from her lips. “If you wanted to hate me, you sure are doing a horrible job showing it.” 

Sana and Jihyo guide a frustrated Mina away as Coach Sunmi fixes Momo with the hardest, angriest, most disappointed glare that she’s ever seen from her longtime mentor. 

“We will discuss this later.” 

\--

In the second half, Coach Sunmi makes a concerted effort to keep her and Mina from sharing the floor, immediately bringing one off when she puts the other on. It makes a huge impact not having their two best playmakers on the court at the same time, and the tension between Mina and Momo distracts the rest of their teammates so significantly that Seoul Central jumps out to a lead early on, one that JYP are having trouble chipping away at because of drastic lineup shifts. 

The humiliation reaches an all time high when her coach puts Mina in for the last five minutes, pulling Momo when Seoul Central’s lead swells to 15. She watches sullenly on the bench as Mina tries to take control of the game, but after sitting for so long and without their biggest attacking threat, there isn’t a lot she can do and the game ends 68-56. JYP’s crowd leaves in utter disbelief, murmuring lowly about the shocking display they just saw from their highly touted varsity team. 

Momo doesn’t notice her surroundings as she dejectedly trudges back to the locker room, barely even reacting as Coach Sunmi grabs her gently by the arm and guides her into the coach’s office, pulling out a chair and nudging her into it. Mina’s already sitting at the other side of the table, eyes cast downwards in a similar state as Momo’s. She just watches as Coach Sunmi pulls out a sheet of scratch paper and writes a -17 on it in big, bold, red letters before placing it on the table, directly between herself and Mina. 

“This was our plus-minus in today’s game when both of you were on the court,” She says flatly, as neither of them needs the number to know just how poorly they played today. “If this doesn’t show you that you need to work together, then I don’t know what will.”

Their coach doesn’t say anything else as she walks to the door, opening it and pausing before she leaves the room. “I’m going to leave you in here to sort out your problems, and you’re not coming out until we can come to some sort of agreement.” Sunmi smiles, a tired but somehow hopeful tilt of her lips. “Just know that I believe in you, and I know you can work this out together. I’ll leave you two to it.” And with that, she leaves, gently closing the door behind her and leaving Mina and Momo alone. 

There’s a long, hesitant, drawn out pause as it seems all of the air is sucked out of the room, leaving a soundless vacuum that neither of them wants to break. The seconds pass as the tension gets more and more uncomfortable, until Momo is practically bursting at the seams with everything she wants to say. 

“Mina, listen–”

“Momo, I–” 

Across the table, a surprised Mina looks up and finally meets Momo’s gaze, then the slightest of smiles pulls the corners of her lips upwards as she realizes that they both tried to speak at the same time. 

“Look at us,” Momo chuckles heavily, though there’s nothing really funny about the moment at all. 

Mina’s voice is soft, but Momo can hear her clearly in the silence of the room. “Remember back in fifth grade? When everyone used to ask us if we were telepathically linked because we kept talking at the same time and finishing each other’s sentences?” 

“Yeah. And then Sana would say that it wasn’t true because you were so much smarter than I was, so we couldn’t possibly be sharing minds.” 

There’s silence as both girls are suddenly transported back to their middle school days in Japan, full of happy memories that seem as distant as the furthest star, light years beyond their reach. 

“What happened to us, Momo?” Mina murmurs. 

A beat. “I don’t know.”

“Can I… can I go first?” She asks quietly, to which Momo gratefully agrees. 

“I’ve… I’ve been thinking a lot actually about what I wanted to say to you, about anything that I could say to you to try to make this right, and I came to realize that there are so, so many things that I need to apologize for. I’ve hurt you in so many ways, Momo, and for so long I’ve regretted ever letting you go.” A lone tear runs down Mina’s cheek and she pauses to dab it off. “Those few years that we spent growing up together, going to school together and playing basketball together, they were the best years of my life. You were my best friend, Momo, the one person that I knew would always understand me and have my back, and when I left and switched teams I ruined all of that. I betrayed the team, I betrayed Sana, I betrayed you… It was the worst decision of my life, and there’s nothing I can say that will ever make any of that pain that you felt–” She shudders. “That you still feel, go away.”

Mina fades into silence, and after a few moments, Momo decides it’s her turn to speak. “Honestly Mina, I was furious when you left. We always said we would stay together forever and win as many championships as we could, so seeing you on the rival team winning against us instead hurt a lot. But I wasn’t just mad at you. I was mad at myself for letting you go, for not realizing that you were going to leave, and I was also confused, and scared. You were my best friend in the world until you suddenly left, and a part of me thought that maybe you left because I wasn’t enough.” She looks honestly at Mina’s eyes and sees the pure anguish that fills them, but she swallows down a sob and continues. “But that was five years ago, Mina, and however angry I was then, it doesn’t justify me treating you horribly now. I know that you were only trying to make it up to me, to try to fix our friendship. I think I’ve always known. But instead of trying to help or even just listening to what you wanted to say, I shut you down. And for that, I’m really, truly sorry.” 

“I wanted to come back,” Mina says, the words burst out of her as if she’s unable to hold them back any longer. “That one year that I was away was so miserable without my best friends. Right at the end of the season, I told my dad that I wanted to go back, to play with you guys again. But when I went to talk to our old coach about it, he said that you and Sana had moved to Korea, and I knew that I had lost you.” They lock eyes and really look at each other for the first time, and it’s only then that they both realize there are tears streaming down both of their cheeks. 

“You could never lose me.” 

The dam breaks and suddenly Momo’s at Mina’s side, slowly running a hand up and down Mina’s shoulder as the younger girl sobs into her jersey. 

“I’ve missed this, Mina. I’ve missed us.” Momo says a while later as both of their tears dry, though their voices are still hoarse and raspy. 

“Me too.” Mina responds softly. 

“Do you think… maybe we can try again? Make a fresh start and be friends?” 

“Yes,” Mina murmurs from her place tucked against Momo’s side. “I’d like that.” 

Together, they crumple up the paper with the big red -17 and throw it into the recycling bin. 

When they walk out side by side, weary smiles on their tear-streaked faces but tension mostly resolved, their teammates and Coach Sunmi break out into wide grins, glad that the nightmare is finally behind them. 

The JYP cheer they do in the locker room that night is the loudest so far, a symbol of the happier, more hopeful days that must surely be just around the corner. 

\--

It’s slow going, but they try. 

The first practice back after the loss to Seoul Central, Coach Sunmi has them scrimmage amongst themselves, insisting that they try to just have fun and relax without any tension or worries. Somehow, Mina and Momo end up on the same team, a decision that everyone protests as a wildly unfair distribution of skill. It doesn’t take much convincing from Jihyo for their coach to allow the opposing team an extra player, and it ends up being herself, Mina, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu against Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, Jihyo, and Dahyun. The game is close and ends when Chaeyoung drains the buzzer beater and they win despite being down a man. Everyone laughs when Sana complains that they should have made it 3 on 6 instead of 4 on 5, and the mood going back into the locker room that day is the lightest it’s been in a long time. 

During school hours, Momo makes an effort to interact with Mina more, acknowledging her when they pass by each other in the hallways and striking up conversation if they meet before school with nothing to do. Mina joins them at their table for lunch one day and fits seamlessly into the group, slowly joining the conversation and eventually opening up to Nayeon and Jeongyeon, the two remaining returners she isn’t already familiar with. Their constant before-school meeting by the fourth set of lockers in the B Building becomes 6 instead of 5, and then 7, 8, and finally 9 as Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu join their ranks. 

“I like this a lot,” Nayeon announces after lunch one day as she and the rest of the seniors, namely Jeongyeon, Momo, and Sana, head to their shared English class. 

“What, Nay?” Sana asks from her spot at Nayeon’s side. 

“All nine of us, being friends like this. It feels like more than just basketball.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Momo says wholeheartedly. 

“I’m just glad that Mina and Tzuyu are sane,” Jeongyeon pipes in with a grin. “I’d hate to think that Jihyo and I are the only ones with brain cells in this whole group, it makes our jobs a whole heck of a lot easier.” 

“More like Jihyo’s job,” Momo grins back at Jeongyeon, elbowing her slightly in the ribs. “Usually you’re in just as much trouble as us.” 

“Technicalities, Momo, technicalities.” 

“Hey Nay, I was thinking,” Sana says thoughtfully. 

“Yeah babe?” 

“That sleepover that we have at your house twice a month? Maybe we could do it with everybody? I think that would be so much fun.” 

“Yeah, great idea Satang! We should totally do that,” Momo agrees. 

“It would be fun,” Jeongyeon muses. 

Nayeon seems about to agree, but then there’s a glint in her eye and her face shifts into a pout. “But I thought that was just supposed to be us two?” She says cutely at Sana. “What about our time together?” 

“We can still meet up at my house once a week,” Sana says. “Just you and me.” 

“Okay,” Nayeon says after seeming to think about it for a moment, which no-one believes for a second. As if she was going to ever disagree with anything her girlfriend said. “Let’s do it.”

“God, you’re so whipped.” Momo mutters and Jeongyeon groans, “Disgusting.” 

“Hey! You like it!” Nayeon protests, to which Jeongyeon cracks a grin. 

“You’re absolutely right, keep going.” 

\--

They win their next six games in a row, pushing up the standings until they sit in second at 9 wins and two losses, behind only as-of-yet undefeated SM Prep. 

On the back of a 95-52 blowout of the Busan West Bulldogs, Coach Sunmi smiles as she offhandedly remarks, “I’m glad you two are as good as you are. It makes my job easier, having the two best players in the country on the starting lineup.” 

They share a grin at this, Momo nudging Mina shyly. The results speak for themselves, and who would she be to disagree?

\--

Somewhere along the way, Mina and Momo become Mina AND Momo. 

Momo doesn’t know exactly how it happens, just that one day when she’s stealing glances across the table at Mina during lunch, admiring how well her blonde hair, though slightly faded and darker at the roots, frames her face and highlights her side profile, she notices Mina doing the same thing to her and quickly breaks eye contact. Sana looks back and forth at their rapidly blushing faces with a stupid smirk on her face and Momo kicks her under the table, embarrassed. Whenever she and Mina hug – which seems to become an increasingly common occurrence – they both linger a little into each other’s touch, just slightly too long for it to be only platonic before they realize and pull away. 

The little touches and soft smiles continue for a while, both of them pointedly ignoring their friends’ smirks and eye-rolls and firmly insisting that no, they are just friends. 

At practice one day, a strangely smiling Coach Sunmi pairs them up in 2v2s against Sana and Nayeon and everyone bursts out in their own exclamations, a laughing Tzuyu proclaiming that “Look, it’s the couples against each other! MiMo versus SaNayeon!” Mina’s hands immediately go up to cover her rapidly reddening face as Momo shakes her head and mutters a quiet “we’re not a couple” under her breath, but none of them will listen. 

Of course, Sana and Nayeon stand no chance against Mina and Momo’s teamwork and they beat their friends easily. 

“God, I can’t believe they think we’re a couple!” Momo laughs as she and Mina head back to the locker room after practice. They reach the door and she has to gently free her fingers from where they unconsciously interlock with Mina’s to twist the handle and push the door open. 

“Yeah, it’s funny, isn’t it?” Mina says. There’s something a bit reserved and held back in her voice that Momo only catches later. 

“And we even have a ship name!”

“MiMo?” 

“Yeah, MiMo!” Momo inclines her head thoughtfully as she says it out loud. “Doesn’t it sound kind of cute?” 

“Hmm? I guess it does.” Mina says absentmindedly. 

“Too bad we’re just friends, right?” 

“Yes, just friends,” Mina murmurs. Disappointment that flashes in her eyes for a second, as if she wanted Momo to say something else, but it’s replaced by a stoic expression so quickly that Momo swears she just imagined it. Then, inexplicably, Mina rushes to cool off and dashes out of the locker room in a hurry. 

Sana just watches the whole exchange with wide eyes. 

Baffled, Momo turns to her best friend. “Was it something I said?” 

The blank stare Sana sends at her is completely unnerving, but suddenly she rushes over to Momo and punches her roughly in the shoulder, not hard enough to hurt but with sufficient force to make an impact. 

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“She likes you, you idiot!” 

“W–what?” 

“Mina likes you. And I know you like her too because every time she’s around you just stare with a dopey look on your face and don’t even try to hide it.”

“No I don’t–”

“Momo.”

“Oh my god.”

“Oh my god is accurate.” 

“Oh my god, I like Mina. And I just friendzoned her and now she thinks that I’m not into her when I am and oh my god Sana what do I do?” 

“What do you mean ‘what do I do’? Go after her, you idiot! If you hurry you’ll get her before she leaves!” 

And Momo does. She practically flies out of the locker room, running faster than she ever has to catch up with Mina and tell her how she feels. 

(Later, Sana will comment that the number one indicator that Mina liked Momo was how touchy she was, always linking arms or resting her head on Momo’s shoulder or leaning against her when she laughed. Momo honestly never noticed, always simply reveling in the contact as if Mina’s perfect fit against her side was that of two puzzle pieces that just naturally go together.) 

\--

They roar through the rest of their schedule, taking 19 games in a row after the loss to Seoul Central to wrap up the season with a school record 22 wins. Comfortably in second place, they easily secure a bye in the first round and home-court advantage for most of the playoffs. 

Morale within the team has never been higher as well as, it seems, the intense bonds of friendship that bind every single girl together. 

Momo can’t help but marvel at all of the chemistry that everyone has with each other, little bonds between teammates at certain positions making all of the difference and creating some truly insane ball movement and teamwork. She watches as Dahyun and Chaeyoung run opposing guard duos into oblivion with their lights-out shooting and incredible energy on the ball. She admires Jeongyeon’s and Tzuyu’s communication in the post, their two bigs working together inside and learning from each other despite the gap in age and experience. Sana and Nayeon have always had incredible synergy on the wings, but it just seems to have been brought into its full potential over the last few games; the two girls are practically unstoppable when they’re in their element, and watching Mina and Jihyo casually pick apart opposing defenses with pixel-perfect passes and insane vision is nothing short of spectacular. 

When they absolutely demolish the talented JV team in their last official scrimmage before playoffs, there’s one thought that flashes clearly through Momo’s mind. 

“SM, bring it on.” 

\--

Playoffs seem to fly by in the blink of an eye and suddenly it comes down to what they’ve all been waiting for: the championship game. Momo feels an intense sensation of vertigo as she walks out onto the court in front of thousands of screaming fans at Jamsil Arena, half proudly wearing JYP’s white and sky blue while the others don SM’s signature light pink. It’s almost the exact feeling of nerves that she felt last year, walking into the same stadium to play against the same team. She feels a hand slide into hers and wrap itself around her fingers and she looks back to find Mina, her gentle smile a reminder that things are not like how they were last year and that there’s absolutely nothing to be nervous about. 

Coach Sunmi echoes the sentiment not minutes later as they huddle up before the start of the first quarter. 

“This is it, girls. The game we’ve all been waiting for. All of our hard work for the entire season has led us to this exact moment, these 40 minutes against SM for the championship. You’re all nervous, but I want you to focus on what we worked on in practice and don’t let anything else distract you. You ladies are the fiercest, most talented, most resilient team I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of in all of my years at JYP,” Coach Sunmi says with conviction. “Just know that whatever happens, I’ll always be proud of you. Momo?” 

Momo clears her throat and feels the eyes of all of her teammates shift from Coach Sunmi onto her. All at once, she feels the gravity of what it means to be the captain of this team, but more intensely, immense pride at what they’ve managed to accomplish. “Some of us have been waiting for this for so long, three, maybe even four years. And now we’re closer than ever to finally beating SM and lifting that championship trophy for ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I can taste that sweet victory against our lips. They beat us before, but we’re better now. Stronger. United. And I say we go out there and show them! Give them everything we have! Who’s with me?!” She’s screaming now, adrenaline pumping through every cell in her body, and every single one of her girls is screaming with her.

“JYP ON THREE! ONE, TWO, THREE, JYP!” The blue and white crowd completes the chant triumphantly with the team. 

“Jihyo, Mina, Momo, Jeongyeon, Tzuyu, you’re up. Nayeon, Sana, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung, stay ready on the bench. You’ll be in at the first opportunity. Let’s go girls!” 

As the starting fives for both teams make their way out onto the court, Mina comes up to fist bump Momo before the jump ball. 

“Just like old times, Hirai?” 

“Just like old times.” 

\--

There’s just under a minute left in the fourth quarter when Coach Sunmi calls her final timeout. Momo looks up as the scoreboard flashes SM 89 - JYP 85. 

“We’re only down two scores, and there’s plenty of time left on the clock. Let’s go for an easy two in the key. They’re tired now and they’re playing soft inside. Neither team has any timeouts, so they’ll have to play in the open court. We need a defensive stop, and then a three for the win. You’ve got this ladies, just trust in yourselves, your shots, and each other. I believe in you!” 

Momo takes a deep breath and blocks out the crowd noise as she and Mina head to the baseline for the inbound. 

“Less than a minute left to go in this close one,” The PA announcer’s voice echoes through the arena. “Hirai and Myoui get set for JYP. And the ref blows the whistle, and we’re off! Hirai gets it to Myoui, who takes it up the court. And now the ball’s back with Hirai off of a good screen from Im.” Momo slowly dribbles, crosses over, as she eyes her defender, waiting for the smallest sign of commitment. Hold on… there it is! Just as her defender reaches in for the steal, Momo spins away and drives to the basket. “Incredible, Hirai beats her man and makes a move to the bucket. She goes up for the layup and… INSTEAD FAKES AND FEEDS IT INTO A WIDE OPEN YOO FOR AN EASY BUCKET! SM’S LEAD IS DOWN TO JUST TWO NOW, WITH JUST ABOUT 30 SECONDS TO GO!” 

Jeongyeon points at Momo as they run back to get set on defense, acknowledging the pass that led to an open bucket. At the sideline, Coach Sunmi nods her appreciation before gesturing at the defensive set. 

“SM takes the ball up quickly, it looks like they’re trying for a score to put this game just out of reach for JYP. The ball’s with Bae, now it’s Kang, in to Park for the layup… BLOCKED BY MINATOZAKI! OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL MOVE FROM THE JYP FORWARD, WHO CAME FLYING OUT OF NOWHERE TO DENY THAT BALL! AND IT’S HIRAI ON THE REBOUND WITH SEVEN SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME! SHE PASSES IT TO MYOUI, WHO RUSHES UP COURT! SIX … FIVE … FOUR! MYOUI DRIVES IN FOR THE LAYUP TO TIE AND DISHES IT OUT TO A WIDE OPEN IM! IT’S IM NAYEON WITH A THREE IN THE CORNER FOR THE GAME!” 

Time seems to slow down as Nayeon elevates, eyes fixed on the rim and elbow perfectly positioned. The entire crowd gasps as one as the ball leaves Nayeon’s hand, spinning perfectly as it travels in a high arc before swishing through the basket. Nothing but net. 

“IT’S IN! THAT’S IT FOLKS! A BUZZER BEATING THREE FROM GUARD IM NAYEON! JYP 90, SM 89, JYP WINS THE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP!” 

Momo barely has enough time to wrap Mina in her arms before the whole swarm of JYP supporters rushes down the bleachers onto the floor, hoisting Coach Sunmi and the team on their shoulders and parading them around in ecstasy. It takes a while, but eventually the staff are able to clear just enough space for the trophy presentation. The crowd roars as Coach Sunmi accepts the trophy, handing it to Momo with a certain proud fire in her eyes. Momo looks back at her teammates and urges the seniors forward. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Sana each put a hand on the championship trophy and on the count of three, the four of them hoist it triumphantly into the air, glittering silver and blue and gold shining under the bright spotlights as the crowd goes absolutely ballistic. 

As per tradition, they share senior speeches in the locker room. It’s usually an emotional affair, and this year is definitely no different as Nayeon proclaims through tears that this is the best team she’s ever been on, Jeongyeon laments leaving Jihyo behind when she goes off to college, and Sana absolutely breaks down at the thought of leaving the younger ones. 

Finally, they all turn expectantly to their captain, the locker room quieting down as Momo takes a second to collect her thoughts. 

“I’ve thought a lot about what I wanted to say,” She starts, her eyes cast down on the floor as her brain whirs. “But I realized that I can’t say the same thing to everyone because each of you has touched my heart in so many different ways. 

“First,” Momo turns to their coach, who smiles back at her captain and star player. “Thank you so much Coach Sunmi. For everything. Words don’t describe how much you’ve meant to me these past four years, and I will always be grateful for your mentorship and for everything you’ve given me, for how you allowed me to succeed and get better every day.”

“Yah, Hirai, quit talking like I’m dying! I’m not that much older than you!” Coach Sunmi says thickly through tears, and everyone laughs. 

“Tzuyu-ah,” Momo says next as she faces their youngest player. “Our long-legged maknae. You’re grown so much this year and I’m so proud of how confident you have become. You’re going to be a force in the basketball scene for a long time, I’m sure of it.” She goes to hug the taller girl, who unexpectedly wraps her in her arms as tightly as she can, and when they let go, Momo can see the tears shining in Tzuyu’s eyes. 

“And Chaeyoungie. I honestly don’t think anyone as short as you could ever play basketball as well as you do. Keep up that energy and you’ll go places, little tiger,” Momo says as she playfully ruffles Chaeyoung’s hair. “I am so proud of you.” 

“Dahyun-ah. Honestly I wanted you on my team the minute I saw you playing for JV last season, because you’re seriously the best shooter I have ever seen. Don’t tell Nayeon I said that though,” The entire team erupts into giggles as Nayeon pretends to look offended. “Remember to be confident in yourself next year and speak up. And also don’t forget to show everyone your eagle dance, it’s the stuff of legend.” There’s another round of fond laughter as Momo pulls a widely grinning Dahyun into a hug. 

“Jihyo. I’m sorry for all of the trouble you had to put up with between me, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Sana. You’re really our lord and savior, I don’t know how I would ever have made it through calculus this year if you weren’t helping me do literally every single problem. I’ve always admired your natural leadership and experience and I know you’ll be the best captain JYP has ever seen. I look forward to hearing how you defended our national championship around this time next year.” 

“You betcha, Cap.” Momo laughs as Jihyo wraps her in a fierce hug, the two polar-opposites-turned-great friends sharing a moment together for one of the last times in their high school career. 

“Jeong, my birthday buddy. These past four years have been the best years of my life, and I can’t believe I found someone like you to experience them with. I can’t believe that next year will be the first time in a long time where we don’t share literally every single class, what will I do without you?”

“I don’t know, you probably won’t,” Jeongyeon says in an attempt at humor, but her voice is so choked up that it comes out soft and stuttered and everyone else laughs through the tears. 

“You’d better promise to meet up every week next year, I need to see your face as much as possible.” 

“I will.” It’s hard for Momo to pull away from Jeongyeon’s warmth, but she reluctantly does as she turns to face Nayeon. 

“And Nayeon-unnie,” Momo stifles back a choked chuckle as she sees that Nayeon is still trying to maintain a somewhat dignified appearance through the tears that run down her face. “From the moment I got to JYP, you’ve always been there for me. You showed me around the school, encouraged me to try out for the basketball team with you, sat with me at lunch, and introduced me to the best friends I will ever have. You’re my late-night snack buddy and my peach sister, and that will never change.”

“Promise me we’ll hang out a lot in college,” Nayeon sniffs. 

“Sure, even if it’ll end up with me and Jeong third-wheeling you and Sana.” 

After what seems like forever, Momo breaks away from Nayeon’s tight hug and turns to the last two people she has left to talk to, and also the two people who mean the most to her in the world. By now, the words can barely come out as her throat is so clenched up with sobs. 

“Satang,” Momo’s voice shakes as she turns to her best friend. “You’ve been my best friend in the world, ever since we met on the first day of second grade. Since then, we’ve been at the same school, the same team, we practically share our families with each other. You’ve been there through everything and more, and I can’t honestly remember what life was like without you. This is kind of cheesy because I don’t really know what to say, but soulmates?” 

“Soulmates,” Sana confirms. “Now and forever.” 

And finally, Momo turns to the final person she has left. Mina looks at her like she’s the only light in the darkness, there’s so much love and care in her gaze that Momo feels she could just melt in it. “Mina. My Mina. You have so much dedication and love to give to so many people, and I’ll be forever grateful that I am one of them. I know I’ll be spending the rest of my life making these past few months up to you but I just wanted to say that I love you so much and–” 

“Momo?” 

Mina’s face inches away from hers, staring into her own eyes, is enough to stop her rambling. The rest of the team waits in anticipatory silence, as if they all know what is about to happen. 

“Shut up,” Mina murmurs as her eyes flutter to Momo’s lips and she closes the remaining distance. 

\--

_ 6 months later _

“Are you sure it’s okay? I think it’s best if we stay closer to each other, Busan is a long ways away and I don’t want–” 

“Momo, listen to me,” Mina says exasperatedly as they go through this conversation for what seems like the hundredth time. “It’s the best choice you have. The only choice.” 

“But what about you? Seoul and Busan are so far away…” Momo whines. 

“I have Jihyo, I’ll be fine,” Momo has to smile. The friendship the two soon-to-be seniors share is precious, one that rivals even hers and Sana’s in softness. “Plus, it’s only three hours by KTX. We can still meet up over the weekends.” 

“But Mitang–” 

“Busan has the best college team in the country, maybe even in Asia. If you don’t go, you’ll be regretting it for the rest of your life. And so will I, for being the reason that you turned down a full-ride scholarship to the best basketball program in the country.”

“But I thought we agreed never to leave each other’s side again!” 

“Momoring,” Mina says, carefully putting the books she’s carrying in one of Momo’s boxes before coming over to her. “We won’t. You’re my Alexandria.” 

“I’m your what?” 

“God Momo, do you not remember anything from junior year history?” 

“Nope. I slept through my first period World History class and copied all of Sana’s notes after school.” 

“Alexandria, the largest harbor in the ancient world. Apparently the fire from its lighthouse could be seen as far as 100 miles away.” 

“Wow, that’s far.” 

“Do you know why you’re my Alexandria?” There’s a loving smile on Mina’s face, one that brightens up any room and without fail captures Momo’s heart, rendering her unable to respond. 

There’s a comfortable silence as Mina sits on the bed, Momo next to her, and leans into Momo’s touch. 

“Because no matter how far we’re apart, you’ll always be there to guide me back home.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Whew that was a ride. Let's just say it's going to be a while until I write another 10k enemies to lovers because my god that was hard. Also did you catch that slight platonic Mihyo I slid in there at the end because I love them so much? I hope you did. 
> 
> Thanks so much for everything as always. Even the smallest comment is greatly appreciated and I'd love it if you were to follow me on twitter @seulgified97. 
> 
> Questions or just want to chat? Stop by my cc: @orange_creamsicle.
> 
> Anyways thanks so much for reading, I'll always be grateful, and I'll see you in the next one. :)


End file.
